


Charitable Giving

by heyitsk



Category: Football RPF
Genre: English Premier League, Gen, Haircuts, Transfers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-28
Updated: 2013-12-28
Packaged: 2018-01-06 12:52:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1107056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitsk/pseuds/heyitsk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom Huddlestone scores a goal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charitable Giving

**Author's Note:**

> Here, have a Hull City fic. Or rather, a bit of Tottenham gen by way of Hull City, Fulham and QPR. SAY WHAT?!?1! Yeah, I don't know either. Apparently, I have a lot of feelings about THudd's hair.

  


Honestly, Tom is taken by surprise when he scores. He's had what feels like a million other shots from 25 yards out over the past two years and eight months, and they've always skewed just _that much_ off target. Or were caught handily by the keeper. Or sailed wildly over the net into the stands. 

The goal startles a wild laugh out of him and Tom thinks, _Happy birthday to me_! Then he's beset upon by his teammates, who bellow their appreciation as they thump his chest with hearty slaps and grab handfuls of his hair. 

And oh, shit. That's right. _His hair_. 

+

When he'd started his charity campaign, he'd done it for a bit of a laugh. 

Then his goal drought lengthened, and his form became patchy on the side of it. His expanding afro became a constant source of derision and merriment in the Spurs locker room. Benny had been the worst of it, pointedly hinting about proper hair maintenance and shaking his head in disappointment when Tom left it too long between conditioning treatments. 

He never imagined he would work up nearly three years worth of growth before he'd have the chance to shape his hair into something more representative of himself again. Problem is, he's not so sure he can put a finger on just who that is these days. 

+

Tom plays to the crowd, rips his headband off and throws it toward the stands. He dutifully makes his way over to the home bench, where one of the first team trainers lops off a sizable chunk with a handy pair of shearing scissors. Tom laughs, wondering how long the club has had them at the ready. 

He jogs back onto the pitch as the game resets at the halfway line. The sad clump of curls is left forgotten on the touchline as the whistle shrills.

+

They end up scoring six against Fulham that afternoon. In light of the result, Tom's goal doesn't seem so improbable after all. 

\+ 

Tom's hauled off to the mixed zone afterward to make nice with the cameras, and charms his way through a self-deprecating and earnest post-match interview. He finds Parker waiting for him in the tunnel when he's done. 

"Never thought I'd live to see the day," Parker laughs boyishly, offering him a firm hand in greeting. He's in his civvies, having been left out of the lineup today. "Congratulations. It's been a long time coming."

Tom snorts, and falls into easy conversation with his former teammate. He asks after Scott's family and they catch up on personal milestones before the conversation segues back to football. With the genuine concern of a former captain, Scott asks Tom how he's settling in with his new team. 

"Things could be better," Tom says briefly, and they share a look of understanding. 

They're both refugees from North London, forced to make way for the new crop of youngsters Levy had blown all his Bale money on. Tom's not angry about it, knows that football is first and foremost a business, especially these days. But, even as he follow the goings on at White Hart Lane with what he now appreciates as the vested interest of a loyal fan, he can't help the flashes of nostalgia and envy that catch him unaware in quiet moments. 

Tom wonders if Scott ever feels the same way. His current stint at Fulham is a blip in a long career that's taken him on a raucous ride up and down the table. Tom's always admired, mostly from afar, Parker's ability to adapt quickly to new club cultures and tactical frameworks. Secretly, Tom had been chuffed when Parker landed at Tottenham and he got to play alongside him for a couple years. He'd learned a lot, Tom had.

Parker claps him on the shoulder, gestures in the direction of the visitors' dressing room. "I should get a move on," he says, pulling Tom in for an easy hug. "Don't worry, it'll get easier." Tom smiles, encouraged, and waves him on his way.

When Parker's halfway down the tunnel, he turns back to Tom and calls out, "Just make sure you don't cut it all off. You look like a right berk when you're bald, Huddlestone." 

+

He gets in his car and heads out to the barber Davies recommended soon after Tom's arrival in Hull. Curtis had just shot a curious look at Tom's hair, before slipping him a business card and advising, "Go there when you need to get that looked at." 

The shop is a 20-minute drive from the stadium, and Tom's thoughts turn inward when he pulls onto the highway. 

He thinks about the past 32 months he's gone without a haircut. How, after landing on his feet in Hull, he couldn't help but be immediately charmed by jolly Steve Bruce and his family-operated business. Sure, the club owner was a bit heavy handed, but Lewis & Levy weren't always a walk in the park. Besides, for Tom's money, Assem Allam's got nothing on Vincent Tan. As a newly promoted club, Hull have done well for themselves. They've hovered solidly around the mid-table mark, winning away at Newcastle and overpowering Liverpool back at the KC. They've drawn games they should have won, but they've also lost games, deservedly so, thanks to shoddy defensive blunders. His teammates are fearless on match days, always optimistic about their chances even if their enthusiasm proves reckless. Without the heavy weight of expectation on his shoulders, Tom finds himself enjoying football more than he has in years. 

The thought spirals others about the things Tom left behind. The soaring, impossible crosses Gareth somehow managed to redirect into the back of the net. Jermaine and Kyle conspiring wickedly in the corner of the locker room, deciding on the target of their next prank. Jan's peevish stance in front of the mirror after practice, as he doggedly tried to tame his cowlick with an abundance of gel. Harry barking gruffly from the touchlines, either with orders or laughter, sometimes both at the same time. An ugly night in Milan, when the crowd taunted Ade with monkey chants and racial slurs, tempering the club's well deserved advance to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. The perennial last minute race for an elusive Champion's League spot and the hefty burden of disappointment that followed after it had been run. The heartfelt apology Andre had offered, helplessly, as Tom had been shown the door. 

Then, before he can get too maudlin, Tom thinks it best to figure out what he's going to tell the barber when he sits down in the chair. Parker be damned, Tom decides he might just buzz it off after all. 

He can always grow it back, right? 

+

Right as he's pulling into a parking spot, Tom's phone chirps with a rapidfire series of texts from Benny. 

_Finally! Please attend to that disaster you call hair ASAP._

_I'm tired of having to be embarrassed every time someone mistakes the two of us._

 _Just don't shave your head._

Seriously? Tom's starting to get a complex now. 

+

Obviously, he'd never cop out on charity. But Tom isn't without regret as he watches the electric razor shear off tufts of his curls into messy piles on the floor. He squeezes his eyes shut tightly and exhales a long, shuddering breath. Tom decides to wait until it's all over before taking in his new look. 

It's a small thrill, Tom thinks with a smile, not knowing what lies ahead. 

He's eager to see what life looks like next.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> 1\. In case you missed it, [Tom Huddlestone scored a goal today!](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/tom-huddlestone-celebrates-first-goal-almost-two-years-173653004--sow.html)  
> 2\. It is, coincidentally enough, his birthday today!  
> 3\. More details about his charity campaign can be found [here](http://www.justgiving.com/huddlefro).


End file.
